Harri Srivastava ’27 (CLAS) spent the summer before her senior year helping preserve Stamford’s queer history through interviews with the people who lived it.

Srivastava participated in an Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts Research Experience (SHARE) Summer Apprenticeship, offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research, which gives undergraduates the chance to collaborate with UConn faculty mentors on research or creative projects. Through the apprenticeship, Srivastava worked with Mars Plater, assistant professor of history, on an oral history project documenting Stamford’s queer history.

“We’re interviewing older members of Stamford’s queer community, people who owned queer spaces, or people who got married when same-sex marriage was first made legal,” Srivastava explains. “We’re able to learn about their life stories and what it was like to be queer in Stamford during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.”

Srivastava worked with two other researchers in collaboration with Stamford Pride, a nonprofit that supports the LGBTQIA+ community in Stamford through education and connection. Together, they conducted interviews and produced educational materials about the city’s queer history.

Oral histories use people’s personal experiences to better document the past. Through interviews, researchers like Srivastava and Plater can better contextualize historical events through the people who lived through them.

“The best part about doing an oral history is that you can learn things that you can’t find written down or in an archive,” says Srivastava. “The point is to just listen to their story.”

A Wealth of Experience

Srivastava is not one to let an opportunity pass her by. During her time as an undergraduate student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), she has pursued multiple majors, a minor, lab work, and playwriting experience.

She originally came to UConn as an English major, but quickly added a double major in anthropology and a minor in linguistics after taking courses in those fields.

“The professors and classes at UConn are so strong and compelling,” she says.

Srivastava’s academic interests extend beyond the classroom. She previously worked on research with Joshua Mayer, assistant professor of anthropology and social and critical inquiry, which she says helped prepare her for her SHARE apprenticeship.

“I was a part of an oral history project about the Rama people of Nicaragua where I was transcribing interviews,” she says. “Hearing Professor Mayer and his associates interview those people gave me a good idea of how to interview people now. I feel very in my element.”

Despite having previous research experience, Srivastava says the SHARE apprenticeship has allowed her to work more independently than before and develop stronger people and time management skills.

“I have a better understanding of how to streamline research and how to focus my thoughts in the proper direction,” she says. “When you’re doing research, there’s so much information available to you. I’ve gained skill in focusing my efforts, which is really useful to me.”

Future Steps

For the research team, documenting oral histories is important to exploring Stamford’s diverse communities.

Beyond documentation, the researchers also hope to use the information they gather to educate the wider community. The project will be preserved online for public access through Stamford’s Ferguson Library and Stamford Pride’s joint “Tell Your Story” project.

“Queer history doesn’t get documented as much. And now we, as part of the academic community, are trying to document histories that haven’t been focused on before. And I think that’s wonderful,” says Srivastava.

While she’s considering her options for after her expected graduation in May 2027, Srivastava says this in-depth research experience as part of the SHARE Program has given her a broad skill set she can use in whatever comes next.

“I wanted to do something in research, that’s why I applied to the program,” she says of the experience. “I’ve found the team has been so supportive and encouraging, and I’ve learned so much.”